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EXCLUSIVE: Ella Eyre proves why she’s a diva in the making

Ella Eyre might be only 21, but you'd be hard pushed to find a Brit pop star as determined and focused.

Rex Features

While her counterparts might play down their ambitiousness, London-born Eyre has always known for she was destined for the limelight. She studied musical theatre at the BRIT School, where Adele, Jessie J and Amy Winehouse also attended, but she had the performing bug even before her training began.

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"As a kid, I always had a lot of energy," she told us. "I danced from the age of six and I loved being in front of an audience. When I was 16 I was cast as Tallulah in Bugsy Malone and that was it. Then came music - I loved being able to share my experiences and get my thoughts out. Hopefully, now, it helps others who can relate."

On stage, Eyre is known for her energy - she has collaborated with some of the most lively contemporary acts from Rudimental to Tinie Tempah, and always give them a run for their money. She is a masterful show-woman, swaggering around the stage in gloriously bold costumes like a mini diva in the making. Her vocals are strong, but so is her on-stage prowess - something she takes seriously.

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"I want people to get involved; to sing and dance and feel like they're having loads of fun," she said. "It should be a great night out - it's my job to give my audience that."

She is the opposite of gyrating, bland pop princesses. Eyre has been fascinated by strong female artists since she was a child, whether Lauren Hill, Amy Winehouse and Ella Fitzgerald, who she was named after.

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Saying that, she isn't afraid to show her vulnerable side. She describes her long-awaited debut album, Feline, as a "diary" and tracks including Comeback, If I Go and Typical Me hint at a difficult split.

"It shows how far I've come," she says. "There's a lot of my personal life in this album and if some of those songs make me cry on stage then… I'm not scared of that happening. A lot of people have described Comeback as a girl power song and, well, we all go through shit situations and there's always that song that makes us feel better."

A genuine sort, Eyre has fallen foul of being overly outspoken on her social media channels - she once accused One Direction of miming on the X Factor on Twitter only to receive a barrage of backlash from enraged 1D fans.

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"I've learned the hard way that that my opinion is not always valid," she says. "If I dislike something, it's not my job to share that with the public - it's best to just keep it to myself. If I have to say something negative, it'll impact someone in a bad way - whether it's the person I'm talking about or their fans. It's not worth it."

Next up, she wants to work with Mark Ronson "just to see what we end up producing". But for now she has an album promote and gigs to play in unexpected places (such as last week when she performed on top of a giant vinyl next to London Bridge at the launch of a Fiat 500). She's a busy woman; even her beauty routine is used as a time to work.

"On a good day, it takes an hour," she says of her lioness mane. "Sometimes it takes three depending on where I'm going, but it's worth it. I get a lot of work emails done in the proceeds."